


The Guardian of Fire

by ThatScottishShipper



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Fire, Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sheith if you squint, Spoilers, Supportive Shiro (Voltron), Triggers, mentions of pre-kerberos mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-11 23:10:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15982475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: Fire destroyed. Fire consumed. Fire devoured everything.What could be more indiscriminate than nature’s endless fury? Eradicating everything in its reach without mercy?How ironic that Keith, orphaned by hellfire, was chosen as the Red Paladin, the Guardian of Fire.





	The Guardian of Fire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wolfsan11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfsan11/gifts).



Fire destroyed. Fire consumed. Fire devoured everything.

What could be more indiscriminate than nature’s endless fury? Eradicating everything in its reach without mercy?

 

How ironic that Keith, orphaned by hellfire, was chosen as the Red Paladin, the Guardian of Fire. He tried not to notice the concerned look Shiro gave him, knowing - as he always did - what the troubled young man was thinking.

In a frightening moment, his brain burned, his sense clouded with a nightmare come to life. Allura’s assertive voice, as she declared his role, was smothered by the crackling of a hungry inferno, an explosion swallowing his vision and the existence of everything around him.

 

Keith hated fire, despised it.

_Feared it._

 

Keith short-circuited, the world around him blanking out. The very air seemed to abandon his lungs, his heart beating _too loud, too fast,_ and all his terrorised mind could process was _that day_ overlapping with this one.

 

Darkness.

Smoke.

Flames.

Screaming.

 

...Loneliness.

 

As adrenaline ignited inside him, continuing to wreak havoc on his nervous system like his own personal Pilot Error, Keith instinctively clamped his fists over his ears in a desperate attempt to silence the firestorm, to blank it out. Keith hated this weakness of his. Nothing felt more agonising than his own heart wrenched open, his vulnerability exposed for all to see.

As perceptive as ever, Shiro - sensing his friend’s distress - stood between him and the others, shielding him from their naturally curious eyes. As much as he wanted to place a comforting hand on Keith’s shoulder, as always, he didn’t need that right now. After all, the newly appointed Black Paladin knew better than anyone what he was experiencing. With a sympathetic smile, Shiro gestured with his hand and mouth discreetly, only for Keith.

 

_Remember, Keith._

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

_Breathe in. And out._

_That’s it._

 

Once Keith started to follow suit, Shiro gave him a tender smile before turning back to the others, directing the discussion away from the Guardian of Fire, towards Voltron, towards togetherness, towards the future. Though Keith still suffered what felt like an eternity of sensory overload, knowing that Shiro was there for him, protecting him at his most vulnerable, made all the difference. He never said it at the time, eventually succumbing to post-panic exhaustion, but Keith was always grateful to Shiro for his intervention, and it was not the first time.

 

...

 

Memories of an adolescent Keith, plagued by nightmares, staggering down the Garrison halls in the dead of night, returned to him. Accompanied by a not-so-generous portion of shame and too many side helpings of guilt, the humiliated boy broke down until Shiro found him. Wide eyed and hyperventilating, believing he was in the midst of dying because _everything was too intense_ , Keith crashed _hard._

That night, Shiro and Adam opened their door, and their empathetic hearts, to the bewildered cadet. The warmth of their kindness was never forgotten, even if that generosity was an alien concept at the time. As clear as day, the image of Shiro holding him through one of his very first panic attacks, and Adam gently hushing the startled teenager as he offered him a hot chocolate, never left him. All the while, Keith had froze, his imagination sparked by anxiety.

He lost his father and his mother was gone. What if he lost these two stable forces in his life as well?

 

Keith felt like he was on the verge of another screaming episode.

 

...

 

Suddenly, a gentle squeeze on Keith’s shoulder brought him back to the present and he was greeted with a warm smile from Shiro. Clarity softened those frightened eyes and he melted against the touch. His energy spent, the Red Paladin gave him a weak nod, silently conveying he was recovering and another emotion in those dark eyes. As the Black Paladin watched over his dear friend, Shiro knew what he had to do. He wanted to teach Keith, to remind him, of what fire could also be.

 

Fire warmed. Fire healed. Fire inspired.

And it burned with determination, with passion and with heart.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally much long and took on a life of its own for the past few days, but I decided to reduce it in size to focus on the importance of the themes of the story in a shorter form. Inspired by a very interesting Twitter tweet by @wolfsan11 that offered food for thought (dedicated to you, thank you.)
> 
> What if Keith losing his father in the fire caused him to fear fire and then ironically being named the Paladin Guardian of Fire?
> 
> The concept was so intriguing, I wanted to try out a short story about the moment when Keith was named the Red Paladin and what must have gone through his mind at that time. The heavy descriptions of panic attacks and PTSD in this story actually come from my own personal experiences, which was quite therapeutic to write down.
> 
> As mentioned in the tags, I'm leaving it open to interpretation whether you read it as a Sheith story or not. What I really wanted to focus on most was Keith's hidden fears and Shiro being an unwavering pillar of support because he totally gets it. He's been there with PTSD. The flashback scene with Shiro and Adam caring for Keith just came from a place of establishing how long this poor little guy's been loved for by others, even if it's a strange experience for him.
> 
> The conflicting views of fire between Keith and Shiro in the story's beginning and end was another favourite thing of mine to write. It shows there's potential for Keith to slowly get there, even if it takes time, because Shiro is there to lend him a hand as always and remind him of the positivity in things that might cause us fear.
> 
> With the right help, we can all slowly get there.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
